Nothing is as practical as a good theory

It has been said that “nothing is as practical as a good theory.” From the first paper we saw the interrelationship between theory and research. The goal of this paper is demonstrate the connection between theory and practice. Whether it is explicit or not, every successful program and policy in the criminal justice system is based upon some theory or assumption concerning the nature of human behavior. At the same time, programs which are not effective tend not to be based on theory or are be based on poorly articulated theory or a theory without empirical support (ignoring the possibility of ineffective implementation).
In order to promote the use of effective programs and discourage the use of ineffective programs, the National Institute of Justice maintains a database that of programs and their associated evidence/support. In general, programs are described as “effective,” “promising,” or “no effect,” based on the research that has been done to evaluate them. This database can be found here:
https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ (Links to an external site.)
For this paper, choose a program (not a practice) that is described as “effective” or “promising.” Ideally, you should choose one that has multiple green or yellow checkmarks (a single checkmark means that only research from a single study is supporting their effectiveness conclusions). Further, since we are focused on theories of crime, you should limit your choice to the following topics: any program from the crime and crime prevention section or any program specific to delinquency prevention (Click the “All Programs and Practices” tab, then filter under the program tab for “Crime and Crime Prevention”).
Once you have selected an effective or promising program, the next step is to describe the program. What are the programs goals? And how does the program attempt to accomplish its goals? Who is the target population of the program, or in other words, who is supposed to receive the program? How long does the program last, and what are the expected outcomes? Who is in charge of implementing the program?